Michael Haigh
Physical Scientist Ice/Ocean Modeller
I am an Ice/Ocean Modeller in the Polar Oceans group at BAS. My research mostly focusses on ocean-driven melting of the ice shelves in the Amundsen Sea, West Antarctica, motivated by this sector’s large ongoing contribution to global sea-level rise. This involves research into large-scale oceanography, sea ice dynamics/thermodynamics, and atmosphere-ice-ocean interactions. I’m particularly interested in how all these processes act across different time scales.
Outside of the Amundsen Sea, I have an interest in the Dense Water sectors of Antarctica, such as the Ross or Weddell Seas, as processes here are key for driving the global overturning circulation. Other interests include using idealised/simplified-physics models to study complex physical problems that can help us better understand the real world.
M. Haigh, P.R. Holland, T. Caton Harrison & P. Dutrieux, 2026: Wind-driven coastal polynya variability drives decadal ice-shelf melt variability in the Amundsen Sea. GRL.
Y. Liu et al., 2025: Spatial Characteristics and Dynamic Mechanisms of the Antarctic Slope Current in the Ross Sea. JGR: Oceans
M. Haigh & P.R. Holland, 2024: Decadal variability of ice-shelf melting in the Amundsen Sea driven by sea-ice freshwater fluxes. GRL.
M. Haigh, P.R. Holland and A. Jenkins, 2023: The Influence of Bathymetry Over Heat Transport onto the Amundsen Sea Continental Shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans.
M. Haigh and P. Berloff, 2022: On the stability of tracer simulations with opposite-signed diffusivities. J. Fluid Mech.
M. Haigh and P. Berloff, 2021: On co-existing diffusive and anti-diffusive tracer transport by oceanic mesoscale eddies. Ocean Modelling.
M. Haigh, L. Sun, J.C. McWilliams, and P. Berloff, 2021: On eddy transport in the ocean. Part II: The advection tensor. Ocean Modelling.
M. Haigh, L. Sun, J.C. McWilliams, and P. Berloff, 2021: On eddy transport in the ocean. Part I: The diffusion tensor. Ocean Modelling.
L. Sun, M. Haigh, I. Shevchenko, P. Berloff, and I. Kamenkovich, 2021: On non-uniqueness of the mesoscale eddy diffusivity. J. Fluid Mech.
Kamenkovich, I., P. Berloff, M. Haigh, L. Sun, and Y. Lu, 2021: Complexity of mesoscale eddy diffusivity in the ocean. Geophysical Research Letters.
M. Haigh, L. Sun, I. Shevchenko, and P. Berloff, 2020: Tracer-based estimates of eddy-induced diffusivities. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers.
M.C. Haigh and P.S. Berloff, 2020: Rossby waves and zonal momentum redistribution induced by localised forcing in the rotating shallow-water model. J. Fluid Mech.
M.C. Haigh and P.S. Berloff, 2018: Potential vorticity redistribution by localised transient forcing in the shallow-water model. J. Fluid Mech..